The invention relates to spectacles with at least one lens, at least one resting surface for the nose of a spectacles wearer and two laterally arranged, pivotal supporting elements.
Different types of spectacles are known. They consist of a frame generally provided with side pieces hooking behind the ears and made of metal and/or plastic and of two lenses which are joined together by a fitting or by mounts. In the case of spectacles having a fitting, the lenses are fitted in the triangular groove provided for in the rims of said fitting. Said rims are joined together by a bar in the case of bar glasses or by a bridge which is not resting on the nose in the case of glasses with nose pads, said nose pads resting laterally on the nose and being movable. Bar glasses have been previously proposed in which the lenses are made in one piece, the bar being formed by a bight portion of the lens in the region of the nose.
The side pieces resting on the ears are pivotally fastened to the fitting""s rims by means of hinges.
On rimless glasses, the lenses are pierced at the points of junction of the bridge and of the side pieces and are held in place there by means of one clip and one screw each.
There have been various attempts at improving the wearing comfort of spectacles by configuring the frame in a particular way. EP 0 825 475 A1 for example discloses eyeglasses with pivotally carried side pieces and with a spring mechanism which allows the side pieces when being used to pivot from a normal, open position in opposite directions against the force of the spring. This enables a wearer of glasses to take the glasses off the head with a lateral movement instead of always having to take them off the head in the direction of the field of vision.
All these glasses have in common that the side pieces hooking behind the ears may sometimes disturb and more specifically occasion pressure sores or irritations of the skin. Nose pad spectacles without side pieces but with a resiliently compressing bridge are known as pince-nez. These glasses are only held in place over the nose. The spring forces thereby acting on the nose are high so that pressure sores may occur, thus exacerbating discomfort.
It is an object of the present invention to design spectacles which do not have the disadvantages indicated herein above.
The solution of this object is to provide the spectacles of the invention with two lenses, at least one resting surface for the nose of a spectacles wearer, two supporting elements laterally arranged on the lenses, a hinge arranged between the lenses as well as with an elastic element arranged in the area of said hinge. On account of said hinge, the spectacles are provided with a wearing position and with a non-use position in which the lenses are substantially lying over each other.
The supporting elements each form a fixed angle with the respective adjacent lens, said angle preferably ranging from 60xc2x0 to 120xc2x0. The length of the supporting elements is measured such that, when worn, said supporting elements do not project beyond the temples of the spectacles wearer. On their sides facing the head of the wearer, the resting elements are provided with resting elements. The spring element arranged between the lenses presses the supporting elements against the temples of the wearer in the area of the resting elements so that the supporting elements are held on the head of the spectacles wearer in a non-positive manner. A particularly secure holdfast of the spectacles is generally achieved by the frictional connection between the resting elements and the temples of the wearer, and between the resting surface and the nose of the wearer.
The holdfast of the spectacles according to the invention which results from the force exerted by the spring element onto the temples of the wearer is reinforced when the laterally arranged supporting elements are as rigid as possible, in particular when they are provided with the smallest possible flexibility. This may for example be achieved by metallic supporting elements having an appropriate cross section. A comparable effect may also be achieved by means of an appropriate synthetic material, in particular by means of a fibre-reinforced synthetic material. A particularly advantageous effect is obtained when the hinge and the spring element are combined in one component part, this one component part effecting as a hinge and as a spring as well. Such an element may for example be realized by means of a bar that unites the lenses, in particular by means of a nose piece consisting of an elastically deformable metal.
The spring element can also be made of an elastically deformable synthetic material. It is more specifically possible to realize such a component part that effects as a hinge and as a spring as well.
A particularly advantageous effect is obtained, when the material chosen for the spring element is a synthetic material that is elastically deformable and that is provided with a high inner buffering capacity so that the elastic element deforms quite fast under the action of external forces and that the spring element returns quite slowly to its initial position when no longer under the action of external forces. It is particularly advantageous when the return movement of the spring element takes five seconds, preferably 15 seconds.
The resting elements may be spring elements of a substantially spherical shape which are more specifically arranged at the ends of the supporting elements. The use of such resting elements permits to achieve a particularly close fit of the glasses when the length of the supporting elements is selected so as to allow the spherical resting elements to be approximately positioned in the area where the arch of the eyebrow terminates on the temple side of the wearer when the glasses are sitting on the nose of a spectacles wearer.
A particularly secure fit of the resting elements on the temple-sided arch ends of the wearer""s eyebrows may be achieved even without spherical resting elements by choosing the right length for the supporting elements as well as by the position of the resting elements fastened by their inner sides. This may more specifically be achieved when the supporting elements are between 1.5 cm and 4.5 cm long.
In another advantageous embodiment the rotational axis of the hinge, which is arranged between the lenses, is inclined to that straight line passing through the two highest points of the lenses at an angle of less than 90xc2x0, preferably less than 80xc2x0, in particular less than 70xc2x0. It is particularly advantageous when the axis of rotation of the hinge substantially runs in the plane which is defined by the lenses or in a plane running parallel thereto. Such an orientation of the axis of rotation of the hinge entails that, in the non-use position which is characterized by overlying lenses, the supporting elements of the spectacles are not directly lying over each other but rather beside each other. By selecting the proper angle of the axis of rotation with respect to the straight line mentioned, it may be achieved that the supporting elements come to lie completely beside each other in the non-use position.
It is also advantageous when the spectacles are locked when in the non-use position mentioned. This may be achieved by non-positive or positive interlocking of the supporting elements and/or the resting elements. It is therefore particularly favorable when the spectacles are designed with the rotational axis of the hinge being non-vertically arranged with respect to the straight line passing through the two highest points of the lenses.
Another advantageous development is achieved when the spectacles are provided with at least one spring element which presses the supporting elements against the head of the spectacles wearer so that the supporting elements are held on the head of the spectacles wearer in a non-positive manner. Spectacles of this kind do not need a side piece. It is enough when the supporting elements cover one portion of the temples of the spectacles wearer. In this area, the supporting elements are fixed by the pressure applied by the spring element so that the spectacles resting on the nose are sufficiently secured against slipping out of place. Since, as compared to the resting surface on pince-nez, the surface of the supporting elements which rests on the head is large, pressure sores may be essentially avoided. In a preferred embodiment, the spectacles are provided with two lenses united by way of the spring element. The spring element may consist of a spring side piece made of synthetic material for example, the lenses lying side by side in a non-use position and wherein said lenses may be unfolded against the force of a spring. The spring element used may be a flat spiral spring, the ends thereof being connected by way of jointed bridges to one lens each.
The supporting elements may thereby be arranged on the lenses in such a way that they may be pivoted, starting from a position in which they are essentially parallel to the lenses, into a position which allows the spectacles wearer to put on his glasses. These spectacles are particularly small when folded since the lenses are lying over each other and since the folded supporting elements hardlyxe2x80x94if at allxe2x80x94project beyond the rim of the lenses.
The supporting elements may also be rigidly connected to the lenses however, in which case they are pivotal in conjunction with the lenses.
In another design of this embodiment, the lenses are joined together by two bridges, the spring element being arranged between the bridges and each bridge being provided with an arm of a lever in the area of the spring element, the lever arms being set at an angle when the spectacles are folded and abutting when the spectacles are unfolded. The lever arms may be used to unfold the spectacles by pressing them onto each other against the force of the spring.
The spring element may be designed as a spiral spring whose ends are connected to the lever arms.
In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the supporting elements are connected to the lens by way of spring elements. The advantage thereof is that the bridge over the nose may be freely fashioned without having to think of a spring element.
It is advantageous when the surfaces of the supporting elements facing the head of the wearer are provided with an elastic top surface. The shape of the supporting element may thus conform to the shape of the head so that the contact surfaces between the supporting element and the head are as large as possible thus allowing the frictional forces to be as high as possible. Such an elastic top surface may be formed by a gel pad.
To increase the frictional forces it is also advantageous when the surfaces of the supporting elements facing the head of the wearer are provided with a top surface having a high coefficient of friction. Accordingly, the top surface may be made of a neoprene-like material.